This invention relates to containers and more particularly to a flexible container for holding sanitary napkins or other relatively flat objects.
Sanitary napkins are often provided with a silicone-coated release liner for pressure sensitive adhesive on the sanitary napkin. The napkin with the release liner in place is packaged in a relatively small pouch. For purposes of cost reduction, packet simplification, and reduced solid waste, it would be desirable to combine the release liner and the pouch or container into a single item. For this to be accomplished, it would be necessary to form a pouch from a silicone coated paper or silicone coated plastic film. Because of the nonstick characteristic of silicone, however, it has not been known prior to this invention to form the seams of a pouch using silicone coated paper or plastic film. The prior art does not provide a method of forming flexible containers such as pouches from silicone coated paper and films and similar materials, where the design of the container is such that the seams are formed with the silicone coated surfaces facing inwards. An approach taken in the prior art involves zone coating of the silicone coating on either a paper with a sealable (thermoplastic) basecoat or on a plastic film, so that there is no silicone in those areas that will be joined to form the seams of the pouch, thereby permitting conventional heat sealing to form the seams. Although this prior art method works satisfactorily, it is complex and expensive because it not only requires zone coating of the silicone on the paper or film it also requires that the zoned pattern be held in register in the pouch-forming process.